Brassiere



BRASSIBP Filed Au /.15,

INVENTOR ABRAHAM L. FINKL'ES TE IN ATTORNEY Patented June 17, 1941 Nrrao STATE-S PATENT "OFF-ICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a brassire and to foundations and other garments having a brasire element incorporated therein.

It is an object of this invention to provide a garment of the character described which will firmly support the breasts and which will give them form and position, disposing of surplus tissue where it will be least conspicuous and ,to do so without inconvenience or discomfort.

The i'nvention accordingly comprises an ar ticle of manufacture possessing the features, properties and the relation of elements which wil be exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which there is shown a brassire embodying this invention.

As shown therein the brassire is made up of two front pieces l and two back pieces I I. The front piece being attached together by a central seam l2 and each being attached to corresponding back pieces H by a side seam l3. The back pieces are provided with the customary fastening means I l for attaching the two together at the back.

To get a firm support for the breasts the garment is preferably made of a light but firm material.

Each front piece I0 is shaped to the contour desired for the breasts as, for c'xamplejby sea'm's l5 converging toward the central point l5 between the breasts and by a vertical seam [1. These front pieces thus form breast pockets preferably having a central point l8 to receive the nipple and the seam l1 extends vertically downwardly from the point [8 to the lower edge'of the garment.

Each of the pieces H! has its uppe'r edge incllned upwardly toward a point l9 above the nipple point l8.

In accordance with this invention there is provided a tape or ribbon 20 extending upwardly from a point '2! in the side seam to the :point l9 and a tape 22 extends downwardly from the point I9 through the point I 6 to a point 23 beneath the other breast and Substantially in line with I the base circle of the breast pocket. A-shou lder strap 24 is attached at one end to the top 'ofthe member ID at I 0a and to the point l9 and has its other end attached to the back portion H as shown at 25. This point being preferably ad= point 23.

ja'cent to buts'p'aced from the center of the back.

Withthis construction the strain imposed on the garment by-the shoulder strap is in part carriedby the tape 20 which lies above and on the outside of the breast pocket and in part by the tape 22 which distributes the strain to the With this constructionthe strain at the point .23 is distributed through the fabric of the garment below the breast tending to create a more centrated but from that point to the point 2| the strain is distributed through the fabric.

This arrangement causes the fabric to assume an intermediate lineof division between the point 23 and 2! which determines that portion of the breast which shall beheld in its molded form and uplifted or supported by the garment and that portion which is allowed to remain flat against the chest below the molded portion.

In order to more definitely concentrate the strains imposed by the shoulder strap to the lower side of the breast the garment is provided with an inner lining 26 defined by the characters a, b,- c, d, e, j, and g and the inner lining and the garment itself are attached together by lines of stitching 26 which, in general, converge from thecenter line of the lower portion of the breast pocket to the side seam and to the central seam, thus forming a diamond shaped reinforcement of the lower side of the breast pocket giving firmer support to the breast and-more carefully distributing the strain without discomfort.

It will also beseen that in the form shown the tape 22 is bent downwardly as shown at h, then downwardly and inwardly as shown at :i and across the bottom as shown at k and then upwardly by similar bends at m, n and p to join with the tape 22 on the opposite side. This not only furnishes a simple system of making the tapes continuous but, what is more important, it helps distribute the 191111 by resiliently balancing the lateral strains on one side of the center line against those on the other side.

With a garment of this kind each breast is in part supported from its own shoulder strap but it is in part supported by the shoulder strap on the opposite side and this assists greatly in maintaining the form of the breast and in preventing the surplus tissue from spreading to the side underneath the arms.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A brassire comprising a body encircling member having breast contour-defining breast pockets and vertical seams at the outer edges of said breast pockets, shoulder straps connected to said body encircling element at a point above said breast pockets, a reinforcing strip having a strain taking portion extending downwardly from said point through a point midway between the breasts to a point on the opposite side of the vertical center line and below said midway point and said strain taking portion there terminating. said strip being connected to the body encircling element from the top of the shoulder to the termination of said strain taking portion of said strip, whereby each breast pocket is supported diagonally upwardly toward the shoulder strap on the opposite side by said strip and whereby the breast tissue is maintained in form by said pocket and is held upwardly and forwardly thereby and is held distinct from the adjacent breast by the strain taking portion of said reinforcing strip.

2. A device in accordance with claim 1 having a second reinforcing strip extending from said shoulder strap diagonally downwardly toward the outer side of the breast and. attached to the body encircling element substantially at the outer edge of the breast pocket.

3. A device in accordance with claim 1 having a second reinforcing strip extending from said shoulder strap diagonally downwardly toward the outer side of the breast and-attached to the body encircling element substantially at the outer edge of the breast pocket. the lower side of each of said breast pockets being reinforced from the termination of the strain taking portion of said first mentioned reinforcing strip to the side seam.

ABRAHAM L. FINKELSTEIN. 

